Son of River Dane
by 25th Doctor
Summary: Loghain has two children, one is queen of Ferelden, the other is a soldier with a budding carrier. His son Nolan must fight alongside the Grey wardens to protect his home from darkspawn, foreign powers, and even plots of betrayal from within Ferelden's borders. Rated T for future chapters. My first story.
1. Chapter 1

**Son of River Dane  
**

**Disclaimer, I own nothing except for the characters I created, everything else is the exclusive property of Bioware.**

**Nolan Mac tir sat below a large canopy that protected his map table from the rain that had been falling for the past day and showed no sign of stopping. He was leading a camp of soldiers about three miles south of the main camp at Ostagar. Nolan was a tall and well-built man ****who had recently passed his twenty fifth naming day only a month before. He was queen Anora's younger brother by close to five winters. Their mother had died not long after he was born due to health complications after his birth, and a lack of a healer resulted on tragedy. His father had raised him and Anora himself with little help beside what he knew he couldn't provide. Five years ago his sister had married king Cailan and became queen of Ferelden. The marriage had yet to produce any heirs. Nolan worried at the rumors being spread that the queen was barren as a punishment for putting a commoner on the throne. "Captain Mac tir are you alright?" Nolan was quickly snapped out of his thoughts and looked to find the speaker. The one he found was one of his lieutenants, Marian Hawke. Hawke was tall by comparison to most Ferelden woman but still shorter then Nolan. She had black hair that was slightly longer in the front than back. Possibly the most defining parts of her looks were her emerald green eyes and the red mark that spread across her face that she had painted on herself to add a look of intimidation. This look worked well as when combined with her fighting skill the men often gave only the greatest respect. "Hawke do you have anything to report?" Nolan asked, turning to face her. "One of the pickets said they saw movement to the south. It's more than likely darkspawn."**

"**Are they coming this way?"**

"**According to our scouts, there is a good chance they are."**

**Nolan turned back to the map table and began to think. "Send word to the men to prepare for a possible engagement with the darkspawn. Tell the officers to report here as soon as possible!"**

"**Yes Ser" Marian said with a salute. She then went to carry out her orders. Nolan continued to stare at the map of the wilds he had so far compiled. He then began to trace the possible routes the darkspawn could use to attack the camp. The camp was on a hill where the only smooth approach was to the north, leading to Ostagar. 'One of the main reasons I chose this spot was the fact that any attack from the south would be nothing short of suicide.' He picked up a quill and began to write a message on a blank piece of paper: "Have engaged darkspawn three miles south of Ostagar. Recommend preparation for further attacks.**

**Captain Nolan Mac tir, commander of the camp Watchful Gaze." Nolan read this to himself twice before calling over a messenger. "If we are attacked by the darkspawn, you are to take this to Ostagar as quickly as you can. Take this copy of the message and give the same directions to another courier understood?"**

"**Yes Ser!"**

"**Good!" Nolan stepped out of the tents protection and felt the rain land softly on his face which, despite the cold air, felt good in a way he was never able to describe. He then returned to the table and began to wait for the other officers to arrive. After about five minutes they had all arrived. The oldest one of all of them was Donnellson, a tried and true veteran of the Ferelden revolution against Orlais. Donnellson had served with Nolan's father, but had declined an offer to take command of the camp, as he felt he served more successfully as a unit commander under someone else. Next to Donnellson, though roughly a foot shorter, Marian and her younger brother Carver, who had both proven to be effective commanders, but this would be Carvers first real battle as a unit commander, and Nolan could see the nervous excitement on his face. And lastly was Trenton, who proved to be one of the greatest non-Dalish archers that Nolan or his father ever met. Nolan had placed him in charge of training the archers and he also commanded the bulk of them. Nolan was proud to have him and his soldiers, since much of the coming battle would likely be at range. Nolan began to address his officers. "I'm glad you all came so quickly. Have you all heard the news of the approaching darkspawn?" They all responded with a silent nod, "then you know what must be done. Trenton, you will take your archers and spread out along the front line, with fifty men in reserve…" Trenton nodded "… Marian, you will be at the extreme left, and connect with Trenton and form into a hook along the crest of the hill." Marian looked at where Nolan was pointing with his fingers and nodded. Nolan then traced a similar hook shaped line on the opposite flank. "Carver, you will be in charge of defending the extreme right of the flank and form a mirror image of the left, I expect more darkspawn on your front so make sure you're ready." Carver nodded and the look of nervous excitement seemed to increase. "Donnellson, you will take the remaining men and make sure the camp is prepared for a retreat to Ostagar, as this may be the head of the hoard we are facing, we will need the wounded and the supplies ready to move quickly. Any men not dedicated to preparation for retreat will be in the reserve lines to give support to any of the front lines that require aid! That's three hundred men on the front line from flank to flank, one hundred men in reserve, and one hundred for preparing the camp. Any questions?" No one said a thing. "Then move out! And may the Maker watch over us all." The officers all nodded and went to carry out their orders. Nolan looked to the sky and saw that the rain was slowing down. 'Perhaps the Maker has not forsaken us after all' Nolan thought before going out to prepare for the battle himself.**

**author's note**

**This is my first published story. I will accept criticism as long as you can detail it, please don't just say "I hated it just because". Please review, I plan to continue. **


	2. Chapter 2

Son of River Dane chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dragon age is the property of Bioware. The only thing I do own are my OCs. Please read and review. Note: this will be an all origins true story for the Grey warden recruits.

Nolan walked along the line to see that it was secure. The rain still pitter-pattered from the sky, but not as hard as this morning. The men were deployed exactly where he had ordered them to be, and now were simply waiting for the darkspawn to show themselves. The men were mostly idly chatting; Nolan heard more than once that they were all getting ready for only a small raiding party. Nolan however had a bad feeling that seemed to only get worse the further to the right of the line he walked. He wrote it off as pre-battle nerves, and managed to look carefully from the line of soldiers in front of him to the tree line below the hill, and he felt he saw something. The bad feeling began to return and only grew stronger the longer he stood there watching a small break in the tree line where something just moved… "Captain Mac tir? Are you alright ser?" Nolan was snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Carver standing beside him. "I'm fine Carver," Nolan said returning his gaze to the tree line "but something is out there!"

"What could-" Carver's sentence was interrupted by an arrow that nearly hit both of him and Nolan. This was followed by a chorus of loud screeches that would make the bravest man's blood run cold. The darkspawn charged out of the forest in massive numbers. "Carver! See to your men now!" Carver nodded quickly and rushed to his men. Nolan walked quickly to the center of the front line and saw Trenton organizing the archers for the first volley of arrows. Trenton raised his right hand and quickly shouted "Loose arrows!" A swarm of arrows flew into the oncoming tide of darkspawn. The darkspawn fell in droves, but the fallen were simply trampled underfoot by the living. Trenton launched volley after volley, but the darkspawn continued to stream out the wilds in what seemed infinite numbers. Nolan watched as the darkspawn tried to climb the hill, but the recent rain had reduced the hill to a slick mess, this combined with the naturally steep slope caused the darkspawn to have a hard time ascending the slope. Nolan sent a silent thanks to the Maker for this position. But he was beginning to worry, as he knew Trenton couldn't keep the darkspawn back indefinitely, and arrows would quickly become a problem if the men continued to fire them at this rate. He walked back to the camp and found Donnellson's men were almost done taking down the camp. He found Donnellson himself helping to load the wounded onto a wagon. "Donnellson!" he turned at the sound of his name being called and quickly saluted. "We are almost done here captain! Do you have any further orders?"

"I do. The darkspawn will overrun the defense line soon! Leave anything that's not essential and start moving the wagons out. Once the wagons are well on their way, position your men on either side of the road, Archers on the road behind cover, swordsmen protecting them and the flank as you see fit, hold position until you are sent for or you see the rest of the men retreating, I'll do what I can to give time to set up, are we clear?"

"Yes ser."

"Then start moving the wagons that are full, they need time to get Ostagar!" Nolan turned once again back to the front line and went to Marian's men on the left flank of the line. When he arrived he saw no sign of battle except to the far right, close to the center. Marian could be seen asking messengers if there were any changes in orders, which so far was a no. "Hawke!" Marian quickly approached him and saluted, waiting for orders. "Hawke, have you any activity to report?"

"No ser, nothing on this end. Carver reports scattered movement on his side but nothing he can't handle."

"Then I want you to move your men to support Trenton in the center, the darkspawn will reach his line soon, and he will need the reinforcements!"

"Right away ser!" Marian immediately began carrying out her orders, and her men began move to the right, preparing to reinforce the center line. Nolan followed and quickly saw that his decision had been a good one as the darkspawn ranks were close to overcoming the hill that stood between them and the Fereldens. A large blast of fire tore into Trenton's line as Hurlock emissary had found an ideal position to begin firing spells at the hill's defenders. Several arrows were launched and saw the emissary fall with six injuries, two to the head. But the damage was done and the hoard was upon them. The soldiers drew swords and began to fight in hand-to-hand, but Nolan knew they wouldn't last long. He drew his own blade and shield and quickly prepared for a charging Genlock. The small darkspawn raised the mace it was carrying, bet Nolan sidestepped it. He then swung his sword into the genlock's neck, removing its head from its shoulders. Nolan didn't have time to celebrate however, as he was now challenged by a Hurlock. It swung its sword, attempting to cut his head in half. Nolan blocked the attack with his shield, and followed with a stab through the Hurlock's chest. Nolan twisted the blade inside of the monster's body, then after removing it, cleaved of the Hurlock' head to insure that it truly died. Now Nolan had a moment to look around and saw that things were going badly. The men he had held in reserve had taken the initiative and charged into the center to support their comrades in arms, but even that did little in the face of the darkspawn's overwhelming numbers. Nolan knew what needed to be done. He pulled out of the thick of the battle, (killing another Genlock on the way), and reached into his pouch. He found his horn and sounded it three times, signaling retreat. The men seemed to hear the call and quickly either finished off the foe they were fighting, or they outright just started running north. Nolan looked to the right and saw Carver's men pulling back as well. Nolan began to help organize he retreat, having archers with arrows remaining fire into the hoard to try and slow them down, to little avail. Soon the camp was empty. The darkspawn, sensing their victory, began to give chase. Nolan was near the rear of the retreating army, helping to get stragglers back on their feet after falling, or pointing them in the right direction. About a mile down the road some darkspawn gave up the chase, deciding to go back and feast on the dead. A small group was still after them however, and if a man fell too far behind, they were quickly seized upon. A few moments later, a volley of arrows flew past the survivors and into the remaining darkspawn. Nolan looked ahead and could see Donnellson's men receiving the survivors and being greeted with cheers. Nolan was the last man to cross the defense line, as he had stopped to help one the wounded who had taken a darkspawn arrow to his leg. As some men relieved the young captain of his burden, the officers came to request orders. "The camp is lost. We fall back to Ostagar, the king and my father need to know that the hoard is coming soon!" The officers all agreed and gave the orders for the men to march to the rest of the way to Ostagar, where Nolan knew another great battle would soon occur. 'Maker, if you have not yet forsaken us all, please let these men reach safety.' Nolan thought in a silent prayer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Son of River Dane**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: All parts of this story that are not my OC's belong to Bioware.**

**The gates of Ostagar opened to receive the retreating soldiers as they quickly entered. Nolan was the last to enter before the gates closed, and quickly began to look for his officers to assess the damage done to his forces. He found Marian and Carver first, then Donnellson and Trenton. **

"**Sort out the men by squad, find out who is missing." All of the officers could hear the tone in his voice that expressed his regret at the number of soldiers they had lost. The officers went to carry out their task. The men were sorted into their units, then their individual squads. Nolan walked past the forming lines and observed where the damage was greatest. Trenton's men took the least time, as the darkspawn had hit their ranks first and hardest, and their numbers had suffered for it. Marian and Carver had suffered lighter casualties, but their ranks were not perfect, and there were squads that had fewer men than they should have possessed.**

**When Donnellson's men were finished assembling into line, Nolan gave the order for the commanders to all write him a report and send them to his tent. After seeing them all nod he said "Double rations for all the men, make sure the wounded get first priority at the infirmary." They all nodded silently yet again, and Nolan then began to walk toward the bridge, and his father's camp.**

**Meanwhile at Lake Calenhad…**

**Jowan awoke from a previously peaceful sleep, and quickly felt that something was wrong. He looked over to the bunk that was below him, but lost his balance and fell to the floor. Groaning in pain, Jowan sat up and looked at the bunk below his. Sleeping comfortably was his friend Elizar Surana. Jowan was able to stand up, and when he saw his elvish friend was starting to stir. He quickly leaned against a nearby bed post and ignored the pain in his behind. "So your finally awake?"**

"**Jowan?"**

"**They took you somewhere last night. It was for your Harrowing wasn't it?" Elizar smiled at that realization, **

"**That's right, I remember now."**

**Jowan felt his curiosity reach the breaking point. "What was it like?"**

"**Irving and Greagoir sent me into the Fade to battle a rage demon."**

**Jowan shook a little at that, and it showed in his voice. "I suppose that makes sense. They want to see if you can resist the influence of a demon." **

**Elizar climb out of his sitting position and stood up. Being an elf, he was somewhat shorter than Jowan, but the way he carried himself made him seem like a giant compared to the timid and reserved Jowan. Elizar had bright red orange hair, and emerald green eyes. He and Jowan began to walk out of the dormitories. Simply in the way they walked one could easily see that Elizar was the leader, as he strutted confidently in the lead, Jowan walked meekly behind him. They walked a short distance to the next dormitory for the apprentices, where they planned to meet the other member of their small group. When they approached the door, they could hear pitched shouting from within. They quickly opened the door and saw what they were worried they would see. On one side of the argument was Solona Amell, a human female who was nineteen years old. She had shoulder length brown hair, fair skin, and was about as tall as Jowan. But her size did nothing to help her against the veritable giant she was arguing against.**

**Standing across from her was Sarah Hayes, who was unique in several ways. The most prevalent thing was that she was neither human nor elf. She was a kossith. She stood at a good seven and a half feet tall, purple skin, and snow white hair. Framing her hair was a pair of horns that grew from the sides of her forehead. And the look of pure anger in her almond brown eyes was a rather terrifying sight, as few could ever inspire her unfettered rage. Except Solona Amell that is.**

**Solona and Sarah seemed to disagree on just about everything ever since they had met. And one of them was her choice to keep her horns. Solona was a devout Andrastrian, and disliked Sarah's choice to keep one the primary symbols that was associated with heresy by the chantry. This argument seemed to be about something else however. And Elizar was not interested in hearing what Amell had to say to a particularly powerful insult that Sarah had learned from Elizar. "So girls," he shouted over their voices and both looked to him with different reactions. Sarah looked happy to see him, and Solona looked like she someone had just poured lemon juice on a cut. "What's the topic of argument today?" Elizar finished asking with his typical cocky smile. Solona was the first to answer. "I caught this Qunari bitch going through my notes on Orlesion history and scribbling out parts of it!" Elizar thought, 'wow, way to go Sarah, that's how you get Amell mad!' Elizar made a mental note to congratulate Sarah on this later. He stopped zoning out the conversation when he noticed that Sarah was about to start talking. "Why would I want to strain my eyes trying to read the miniscule scribbling that is your handwriting?"**

"**You seemed to be enjoying yourself quite immensely when I found you!" Solona said with enough venom in her voice to make giant spiders seem harmless by comparison. **

**Elizar decided now was the time to stop things, and quickly did so. "Well Sarah obviously has some explaining to do! Now let's go before the Templars think someone transformed into an abomination."**

**As he said that, two Templars walked into the room. One was Ser Cullen, and the one leading him was Ser Richard. "Now what is going on here?" He asked. He got his answer when he saw the group. He put a hand to his head in exasperation. "Not again. Cullen, take Miss Amell somewhere to cool her head and hear her story!" Cullen quickly carried out his instructions, gently guiding her out of the dormitory. Richard looked to the three remaining mages. "Surana, the first enchanter wants to see you. Jowan, Hayes, I honestly don't care what you do next, but please refrain from creating such noise that that the Maker can hear it in the Fade!" Elizar nodded and said "Of course good ser, none of us would want to disturb the Maker while he is enjoying the sweet company of his wife Andraste." Sarah stifled a laugh behind her hand while Jowan looked nervous. Richard actually looked like he was trying not to smile at that. "Just get to the first enchanters study Surana." Richard then turned and walked out the door.**

**Surana looked at Sarah, who shook her head as a sign of 'I'll tell you later.' "Well, you two enjoy yourselves; I'm going to go see what our esteemed first enchanter needs with me." He then left the room and went to the stairs. Jowan still looked nervous, and grabbed Sarah's arm as she was leaving. "Sarah, there's something I need to talk with you about."**

"**What is it Jowan?" **

"**We can't talk here. Follow me!" So Jowan led her in the same direction as their friend had gone, but their destination was the chapel upstairs. 'I hope Lily is there, I'll need her help to explain this to Sarah and Elizar.'**

**A.N.**

**Please let me know what you think of this story in a review. I also apologize if anyone was waiting for an update, I've been away from the computer for a while. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: Dragon age is the exclusive property of Bioware. I own nothing except for my OC's.**

**Elizar was leaving the stock room and heading for the first enchanter's office. He passed by the chapel were an apprentice appeared to be praying, but he paid her little mind. He began to approach Irving's door when he heard the sound of another argument. 'It must be national argument day here today.' Elizar thought as he smiled to himself. He decided to knock first. The sound inside quieted quickly, and the First Enchanter's tired voice could be heard, "Come in." **

**Elizar opened the door and stepped inside. He looked at the people who stood within. First he saw Knight-Commander Greagoir, who looked old, but still maintained his look of power and Templar discipline. Then there was the First Enchanter who always managed to look like a man who had to walk a great distance, than return without rest. Despite this, he looked happy to see Elizar, who as of last night was the newest member of the Circle. Then Elizar noticed the third man in the room. He looked a great deal younger than Irving or Greagoir, had black hair tied into a ponytail, and had a sword and dagger strapped on his back.**

"**Ah, young Elizar!" Irving greeted with a warm smile and a welcoming gesture of raising his arms wide. Then the man behind him spoke, his voice deep and charismatic, "I take it this is the apprentice you spoke of Irving?" Irving walked toward Elizar and put a hand on his shoulder. "He is an apprentice no longer Duncan! He is now a mage of the Circle." Elizar could hear how proud Irving was in the tone of the First Enchanters voice and felt good for making him feel a little joy. Irving was one of the few instructors that Elizar genuinely liked.**

**Greagoir seemed to have had enough of this distraction, and reestablished why they were arguing in the first place. "As I was saying, the Circle has already given seven mages to the king's army, and the Chantry will send no more! We have sent more than enough of our own to fight the darkspawn!"**

"**Our own? Since when you felt such kinship with the mages Greagoir?"**

"**I'm just saying tha-"**

"**You don't want to let too many mages learn that there is a world beyond this tower? Oh I agree Knight-Commander that would be terrible!" Elizar said with his trademark smirk. Greagoir looked annoyed, but settled with an angry huff and left the study.**

**Irving looked to the sarcastic mage with an amusing look of both amusement and scolding. "Elizar, you are now a full member of the circle, which means…" Irving went over to his desk and picked up a pile of robes and a staff that stood beside it and gave them to Elizar. "It is now my honor to welcome you to our number. These robes, this staff, and this ring are your prizes for passing your harrowing." Elizar held the robes in arms, feeling a sense of pride that he had now taken the final step. "Thank you First Enchanter. The only thing that could make this better would be a recess from the tower!" Irving smiled tiredly**

"**Alas, that is not in my power to grant. But I have been rude! Elizar, this is Duncan, commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden." Duncan nodded, and Elizar returned it, but mainly as a formality, as he knew little of the Grey Wardens beyond what his teachers had taught him about how they devoted their lives to fighting darkspawn. The Templars seemed to joke about how mages were the reason that the darkspawn existed, so the Wardens were cleaning up their mess.**

**Irving spoke again, "Duncan is here to gather mages for the Kings army at Ostagar." THAT got Elizar's attention. **

"**You mean mages leaving the tower?" **

"**That is correct; the Chantry provided only seven mages. I had hoped to gather more not only for the army, but I'm also looking for recruits to join the Grey Wardens." Irving spoke before Elizar could try to get Duncan to let him join. "If you would like to speak with Duncan some more child, than you may be the one to escort him to his quarters. Is that agreeable to you Duncan?" **

"**Of course First Enchanter." Elizar and Duncan then left the First Enchanters study and proceeded to take the long way so that Elizar could ask questions.**

**{Inside the towers chantry}**

**Sarah could only wonder what Jowan was so panicked about, and when she saw him standing next to a chantry sister, her number of questions only increased. When she could contain it her curiosity no longer, she began to quickly ask questions. "Jowan, what's this about? Why the Chantry where the Templars love to be when not policing us? And who is that?" This last question was with a raised arm and pointed finger. Jowan quickly raised his hands and begged her to lower her voice. "You remember how a few weeks ago I said I met a girl? This is Lily." He said with a gesture of his arm. "Hello" Lily said. Jowan had obviously not told her that he would be bringing her, as she was staring quite openly. Sarah decided to ask again "What's going on Jowan?"**

**Jowan hesitated, but spoke "I found out why I haven't been called for my Harrowing! They're going to make me tranquil!" Sarah looked aghast at this news, but wondered how Jowan could possibly know this. So she decided to ask him directly. "Are you sure about this?" **

**It was not Jowan, but Lily who spoke. "I was delivering documents to the Knight-commander's study when I saw the document that would authorize using the Rite on Jowan. The First Enchanter had signed it!"**

**Sarah was looking increasingly troubled the more she learned about this.**

"**Why would they make you Tranquil? They need to have a good reason don't they?" Jowan's face took on a look of fear, and as he answered, it could be heard. "They think I've been practicing Blood magic!" **

**Sarah immediately felt her legs weaken, and had to ask what the question that formed in her mind, but she also feared the answer. "Have you?" Jowan quickly shook his head, saying "No, of course not! I would never use Blood Magic I swear!"**

**Sarah felt a bit better at his fierce denial, and so asked "What's the plan?"**

"**Let's find Elizar first, we will need his help!" So Jowan and Sarah left Lily in the chapel, and went to find their friend and ask for his help. All the while not knowing one mage and Templar had heard part of their conversation. "Did you hear that Cullen?" Solona asked, a look of excitement on her face. **

**Cullen nodded, looking more nervous than excited, "We had better tell the Knight-Commander!" as he started moving in the direction of the third floor. But Solona stopped him by grabbing his arm, causing him to blush. "Tell him what? That a plan is being made but we know nothing about it? No, we wait until we know the whole plan. So get comfortable!" Cullen sighed, but sat down next to her, awaiting the return of the escape conspirators.**

**A.N.**

**This is chapter four. Please review and tell me what you think. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC's. Dragon Age is the property of Bioware.**

**While Elizar and his friends began work to free Jowan, things at Ostagar were heating up slowly. No one said anything, but everyone could fell that something big would be happening soon, and the fate of Ferelden would be decided by the outcome. And Nolan was doing everything possible to prepare for the coming battle against the darkspawn hoard.**

**He had received the casualty reports from his men at the end of the previous day, and he was saddened by the facts shown to him. Trenton's men had suffered the loss of sixty-five of his one hundred men. The men sent to reinforce him had been the only thing to stop his complete destruction. And they had suffered for it by losing anywhere from ten to thirty men. But Marian in particular had tried to cheer the men up by saying that the darkspawn had likely lost two to three times as many as they had suffered. Nolan publicly agreed and encouraged the men as best he could. But in privet he admitted to himself that they may have killed a few hundred darkspawn, but there could be thousands if not tens of thousands of darkspawn out there in the wilds, simply waiting for the right moment.**

**He heard sounds outside of his tent, so decided to get to stretch his legs and see what was causing it. When he stepped outside, he saw the answer to his question. Nearby was the Highever encampment, containing troops that had arrived just the other day. They had arrived while Nolan had been giving his report of the battle to his father. King Cailen was the one to tell them as he and Fergus Cousland were friends. Though Nolan sometimes saw that Fergus would use chances to get away and breathe, then return to his king's side. Nolan could understand this and whenever he saw this, he gave Fergus an encouraging grin, which he would return with gratitude that someone understood his actions.**

**What the captain was not expecting was for his sister to be accompanying him. From what Fergus had told him, his younger brother Aedan was being given the reins of Highever, and he was to lead the men south ahead of his father and Arl Howe. His Sister's arrival had not been planned on, but she refused to be left behind. "She wouldn't say exactly why she wanted to come, but she also wouldn't take no for an answer. So father and I said 'Elissa, if you can gather two hundred sword arms for the army, you can come.' So imagine our surprise when she comes by three days later with two hundred and seven elves that she had rallied from the Alienage. We both asked how she thought elves would fight for the army; she responds with, 'These elves will be loyal to me, because I have been loyal to them. I have promised fair pay and good equipment, all they will need is bit of training. And you never said the soldiers had to be human!', She had us, so here she is."**

**Nolan had found that story very amusing, knowing that something of that nature fit well with the Cousland children. Nolan had always gotten on well with the children, even if their parents didn't agree on some things. He and Aedan were commonly sparring partners, and it was often hard to tell who was more skilled, but Nolan knew he had won the last match, and so currently held the lead by one match. Elissa on the other hand, was a different woman then what he was used to with Anora.**

**While Anora liked the fancy things that came with being noble, Elissa loved putting boys who thought a lot of themselves in their place. Anora was neat and organized; Elissa was that when she chose to be. But that was a decreasing rarity. When she was younger, her things could be found anywhere, her hair was left untidy and ragged, and she loved practicing with swords and bows.**

**Now however, she was showing her age a bit more. While she still loved practicing with her bow, she had mellowed greatly after turning eighteen. When he talked to Aedan about it during a sparring match, he said that their mother had made her a deal of some kind and neither of them spoke of it. Nolan still didn't know what the deal she made was, but she went three years without causing a scene, so he figured it was probably important to her.**

**Nolan was broken out of reminiscing when he heard the voice of the training officers that were put in charge of training Elissa's elves. "Come on you bloody knife-ears, my job is to get you ready to fight the darkspawn, so that's what I'm going to do!" He was being rough on them, but Nolan had assured Elissa when he chose this man was that he was just as rough on his human recruits.**

"**How are they coming along so far?" Nolan turned and saw Elissa approaching, clad in her sturdy leather armor, her bow across her back and a pair of daggers, one on her back, the other on her waist. Nolan smiled, **

"**They are actually doing pretty well on the archery range, and with more practice they should perform well in battles to come."**

"**That's your honest opinion?"**

"**Your all being placed in my unit, so I had better be sure how ready you all are." Elissa looked interested at that bit of news. **

"**We're being put under your command and not my brothers?"**

"**My unit suffered some tremendous damage in a recent battle, most of them were archers, so your men will have to fill the holes in my unit."**

"**Your men will fight beside elves?"**

"**If I tell them to, yes they will." Elissa smiled a sort of smile that made Nolan curious. "Why are you smiling like that?" he asked, with a trace of suspicion in his voice. **

"**You've really taken on the mantle of captain pretty well. I bet when I tell Aedan about all he missed he will turn green with envy." Her smile became much more mischievous.**

**Before Nolan could comment, the sound of a dog barking and a man yelping got their attention. They rushed over and saw a rather amusing sight. A blond headed man in chainmail armor was trying to keep a piece of meat safe from a charging Mabari, and failing. He was finally tackled and his meat ripped from his hand. The Mabari saw the two new arrivals and galloped their way, eager to see them and show them his winnings. **

"**Hunter, what have I told about taking food from the soldiers?" The hound whimpered at the scolding tone in Elissa's voice, while Nolan went to help the man back to his feet. "Are you alright?" **

**The man put on a sarcastic smile, "Of course ser, you know it's considered a sign you have good taste if a Mabari wants to steel it from you."**

**Nolan smiled at his joke, but felt he also looked familiar. "Which company are you with? I feel like I've seen you before!" **

"**I'm Alistair, of the Grey Wardens ser."**

**Now e memory clicked into his mind, as this man was often seen about the camp, doing various odd jobs for the Wardens.**

**Elissa came up, Hunter at her heels. "Now Hunter, say you're sorry to the Warden!" Hunter lowered his head and dropped the last of the meat at Alistair's feet. **

"**Um, thank you for the gesture, so you can keep it, no problems between us right?" **

**Hunter barked joyfully, hoped in a circle, picked up the meat again, and ran off to enjoy it. **

"**You really shouldn't spoil him like that, now he may start coming back for more!" Alistair laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of his head. Nolan decided to head back to his tent and finish his work, until Cailen called him over from the distance wanting to talk to him. "Looks like I won't be getting any more work done today!" he said tiredly. He walked towards the king, and after giggling at his comment, Elissa followed after him. Alistair decided he had better go to the mess tent, as his lunch had been stolen.**

**A.N**

**I know these last two chapters were light on the action, but there will be some in the next chapter. This one was to help lay the groundwork for the plot I plan on going with. Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: Dragon Age is the property of Bioware; I own nothing except for my OC's**

**Elizar had to pause and rest after casting several spells in quick succession at the darkspawn that were strolling about the wilds. He saw Ser Jory, the knight from Redcliff fighting a Hurlock in the front, with Daveth providing archer support. Sarah was helping Alistair deal with a pair of darkspawn that had sprung up behind them. **

**After the last of the monsters fell, they finally approached the tower ruins that held the treaties they were searching for. Elizar felt something was wrong when he found only an empty chest. "What have we here I wonder?" Elizar snapped his head to where the sound was coming from, and saw a woman. But she was not just any kind of woman. This woman was beautiful, intimidating, and mysterious. From her Hawkish yellow eyes, her rather revealing choice of clothing,(Which made no sense to Elizar, as the wilds were freezing) and the way she carried herself, cautious, but proud.**

**She spoke again, "A scavenger? A vulture looking for scraps on bones that have long since been picked clean? Or merely an intruder, looking for easy prey in this darkspawn filled forest of mine? Well which is it then, scavenger or intruder?"**

**Elizar chose to answer her, as he did not feel like hearing his companions ask stupid questions of their own. "Neither, the Grey Wardens own this tower!"**

**The woman looked to him, "Tis a tower no longer, the Wilds have long since claimed this ruin. I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go' I wonder, 'why are they here'? And now you touch ashes none have touched for centuries, why?"**

"**Don't answer her, she looks Chasind! That means others may be nearby…"  
"Ohh," the woman said in a mocking tone, "You fear Barbarians will swoop down upon you."**

"**Yes, swooping is bad."**

**Daveth and Jory began to squabble amongst themselves, while the woman noticed Sarah. "You there, with the horns, surly you do not frighten like these little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine." Sarah looked surprised at being addressed by the strange woman, but decided to answer. "I'm Sarah, nice to meet you."**

**Morrigan."**

**{Later in the day}**

**Less than an hour later they were on their way back to Ostagar, Treaties and darkspawn blood in tow. They had received the treaties from Morrigan's mother, who it seemed Elizar just loved. "She is completely crazy, yet sane at the same time, she is one of the greatest insane witches I have ever met!" **

"**How many other insane witches have you met?" Sarah asked curiously.**

"**Don't' tell me you've already forgotten about Solona Amell!?" Elizar said with an amazed look. Sarah covered her mouth with her hand and started giggling.**

"**I agree, I like Morrigan's mother much more, and I've only known her for an hour!" Alistair looked confused at the idea that anyone could be so terrible that some crazy old woman in the wilds was an improvement.**

**{Nolan's camp}**

**Elissa walked with her elven commander, a red headed middle aged man named Leeran Koris. "How are your people adjusting to the army Leeran?"**

**Leeran looked to her and said "Very well, my lady. The rest of Captain Mac Tir's men have been rather accepting of us. They're at least to the point where they simply ignore us instead of insulting us."**

"**You're still receiving the supplies that Nolan requisitioned right?"**

"**Yes mam." Elissa and Leeran continued to walk until they arrived at the Nolan's tent. The guard outside looked at them and said, "Excuse me my lady," Elissa noticed that he did not greet Leeran. "But Captain Mac Tir asked for no interruptions!" **

**What's he doing that's so important?"**

"**I'm not sure, but he simply asked for no interruptions." **

**The tent flap was pulled aside, and Nolan appeared, dressed in regular clothing instead of his armor. "To answer your question Elissa, I was sleeping. I did not have a restful sleep last night." **

**Elissa covered her mouth with both hands, and said "Oh , we didn't wake you did we?" **

"**No, you only made the old gods wonder 'what is that annoying noise, how am I supposed to guide darkspawn down here over this cursed noise.'" Nolan said, an amused smirk finding its way to his face. Elissa was ready to respond when a courier arrived. "Captain! Teyrn Loghain wishes to speak with you!" the messenger noticed who else was nearby and quickly apologized for interrupting. **

"**It's alright," Nolan said, turning back to his tent, "in fact your timing could not have been better! Tell my father that I am on my way." **

"**Yes ser!" **

**Elissa, not one to give up easily, decided to follow wait on Nolan. She told Leeran to see to the men, and began to wait. She would have the last word, and nothing, not even the Archdemon would stop her.**

**{That Dusk, after the Joining}**

**Elizar awoke slowly, and saw the faces of Duncan and Alistair looking at him. "It is done! Welcome!" Duncan said, as he helped the elf to his feet. Elizar saw that they had removed Jory and Daveth's bodies, but he could see Sarah lying next to where he had been. **

"**I take it that since she's still here, she survived?" Elizar asked, a slight tone of worry entering his voice. Duncan nodded, and Elizar let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. Duncan spoke again, "The king is holding a meeting, and he requested that you be there. Alistair can stay and watch over Sarah until she awakes. Elizar wasn't sure if he liked the idea of some ex-Templar watching over his friend, again,(no matter how funny he was). He said as much in the glare he shot Alistair, and from the gulp he saw the young man take, he smirked, knowing his message was clear.**

**The meeting took place not far away, in the ruins of the cathedral. The plan was to have the king's men draw out the darkspawn and hold them off until a signal fire was lit, telling the Teyrn's men to charge and flank the darkspawn. Elizar paid more attention when the king mentioned him, "…Tell Alistair and the new Grey wardens to protect the beacon!" **

**The Teyrn spoke next, "You rely on the wardens too much Cailen!" Elizar was about to speak, when a younger man whom he assumed was the Teyrn's son spoke. **

"**My father is right Cailen! The grey wardens may be skilled but they are not invincible. They will require help if the darkspawn arrive in numbers!"**

"**What do you propose Nolan?" Loghain asked. **

"**My forces will be primarily long range archer support to the main force. So I propose sending Donnellson's men to the tower of Ishal to insure it does not fall prey to attack." Loghain considered it, and acquiesced. A mage,(Elizar thought his name was Uldred) spoke, but he was overruled by the revered mother.**

**The group dispersed soon after, each to their force to give and receive orders. Nolan and his father went to their ambush positions, the king to his army, and Duncan and Elizar to meet up with Alistair and Sarah. 'Duncan is really missing his chance,' Elizar thought to himself. 'Sarah is most dangerous after she wakes up from a nightmare. Oh well, less trouble for us.' Elizar smirked again, as he and his fellow wardens received their instructions, ( Of course he had to comment on Alistair's claim that no matter what, he would draw the line at putting on the dress and dancing the remigold) "I don't know Alistair, that could be a great distraction!"**

**Alistair looked at him, smiling, "Me shimmying down the darkspawn line? Sure, we can kill them while they roll around laughing!" Duncan let out an exasperated sigh. Sarah just giggled again.**

**A.N. **

**I would like to apologize for how this chapter may fall short of any standards you may have set for me, and I also apologize for the long update. The story should get more interesting from here on, so please read and review. **

**Thank you. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

**Disclaimer: Dragon age is the property of Bioware. I own only the characters that I created.**

**Elizar was leading Alistair and Sarah along the bridge that led to the tower of Ishal. They could see the darkspawn horde gathering across the valley, with the king's army gathering down below. The darkspawn began to charge, and all three of the young wardens could feel the slight trembling of the ground as the massive force approached the army of men. **

**They went the rest of the way ducking flaming boulders that the darkspawn were now tossing at them. "How the hell are the darkspawn intelligent enough to build and use Catapults?" Elizar asked angrily, as Sarah helped him off the ground.**

"**I don't know, but I hope the men at the tower are okay. I saw one of those boulders hit the tower!" The three of them quickly rushed to reach the tower, and when they did, they saw two men quickly rush out. One saw them and approached quickly, "You three, your grey wardens aren't you? The tower, it's under attack! The darkspawn attacked from the lower levels, the only reason we weren't completely overwhelmed was because of commander Donnellson's men arriving in time to retake the first floor. We lost the upper floors however!" A look of determination crossed Alistair's face,**

"**Then we'll have to get to the beacon and light it ourselves!" Elizar was surprised by the determination in the ex-templar's voice, and nodded, putting on his smirk,**

"**Well said my Templar friend! Let's go kick some ass!" The trio of wardens drew their weapons and began their fight to the top of the tower.**

**{Eastern overlook, Nolan's position}**

**Nolan watched as the battle began. First Cailen launched a volley of arrows into the charging hoard, a decision he approved of. What came next however, he did approve. Cailen ordered the Mabari pack to charge the hoard, killing several of them, but at the cost of all of them. Cailen was starting his charge when Marian asked what was happening. "Cailen has ordered his men to charge! That may increase moral, but he should have kept the hounds in reserve so they could attack the darkspawn while they are focused on the men. And he had plenty of time to launch at least two, maybe three, more volleys of arrows! Cailen would get himself killed if he were fighting an enemy that possessed even the most basic ideas of tactical warfare!" Marian was surprised by the captain's short speech that seemed as much to him as to her. He looked away from the escalating conflict below and looked to his second in command. "Is everyone ready for the signal?"**

"**Yes ser, when the beacon is lit, the darkspawn won't even know what hit them." This was Nolan's part of the plan, when the beacon was lit; he was to unleash a volley of arrows into the darkspawn flank opposite his father. Standing order was to release arrows at will after the first wave. **

**Nolan returned his gaze to battlefield below him, and once again found himself praying silently to the Maker that his brother-in-law and all the others that he cared for would survive Cailen's quest for glory.**

**{The Tower of Ishal: Second floor}**

**Elizar and Sarah had met up with commander Donnellson and his surviving forces, and had decided to push the darkspawn positions on the second and third floors. So far that was working rather well, as the darkspawn had mainly gained the upper floors using surprise instead of overwhelming numbers. Donnellson had remarked that it felt good to have numbers higher than the darkspawn for once. "I bet, especially since you also have three grey wardens on your side this time to, and two of them are mages!" Elizar had been quick to point out. **

"**That definitely doesn't hurt our chances." The old soldier commented. Alistair however was more concerned with the fact that the darkspawn were here at all.**

"**This makes no sense! There weren't supposed to be any darkspawn here!" Elizar, of course had to take this opportunity.**

"**You could try telling them they're in the wrong place!" Nearly everyone within earshot actually smiled slightly at that, despite the situation, even Alistair. **

"**Right, because this is all clearly a big misunderstanding. We'll laugh about this later!" Sarah smiled again,**

"**I think we already are, Alistair!" Alistair smiled in spite of himself, but quickly returned to the serious matter at hand. Donnellson was quick to join him on the line of thought. **

"**The young man is right, we must hurry! The outcome of this battle depends on us reaching that beacon!" The men all advanced towards the hall that led to the stairs, and the surviving darkspawn were waiting for them. Elizar launched a ball of fire against a pair of Genlock archers, frying them instantly. Sarah sent a bolt of lightning into the lone Hurlock, and while it was still stunned, Donnellson removed its head.**

**The handful of remaining darkspawn on the second floor were dealt with, and after any injuries that could hinder combat were seen to by Sarah, they went on to the third floor. More Genlocks stood in their way, but thanks to one soldier's quick thinking, several cages containing Mabari war hounds were opened, and the Ferelden force decimated the darkspawn. With two quick victories under their belt, they proceeded with outstanding moral to the top of the tower.**

**And what they saw lowered their spirits somewhat. A massive horned creature was hunched over, devouring the corpse of one of the towers original defenders. It turned when it heard the sound of approaching footsteps. When it saw the growing force of soldiers, it wiped its mouth and roared loudly. **

**The Ogre then began to stomp its way toward the soldiers, who quickly realized that they had to move out of its way. Donnellson and Alistair led the attack, slashing at the beasts massive legs. The Ogre would reach for them, but they quickly moved out of reach, so it then went after the other humans gathered around it. It picked up one soldier and tossed him like a rag doll into a group of three other men. It then slammed its massive fist into the crowd of pesky soldiers, crushing at least one of them. This was followed by the Ogre swinging its great fists back and forth, with much greater results. **

**One of the victims of this last attack was Donnellson, who landed near the remnants of the boulder that had hit the tower earlier. Donnellson stood up, clutching his side. He looked at the battle still raging behind him. The warden mages were doing everything they could without hitting his soldiers, many of whom were now lying scattered across the tower floor. Donnellson knew what he had to do. He painfully bent over and picked up a piece of flaming timber and limed slowly toward the signal fire pit.**

**Sarah drank another lyrium potion, feeling a little woozy afterward, but shook it off. That monster just was not dying, no matter how much it was hurt. While she contemplated what to try next, she saw the commander carrying a flaming piece of wood, and noticing how painful his walk was. She cast one of her healing spells at him, to at least get him to the beacon, then returned her attention to the Ogre and saw something that took her breath away. **

**{}**

**Alistair was felling the fatigue of the fight, and he knew it had to end soon. He remembered Duncan teaching him about the different types of darkspawn, and tried to recall what he said about Ogres. 'They have to sustain serious injury to the brain or heart to finally die, or they'll quickly recover!' He remembered. So he did something that was really pretty stupid. He leapt at the monster's chest and plunged his sword deep into its chest. He followed this with several more stabs of his sword until he knew it was dead. Everyone cheered at the victory, when they heard the sound of a fire roaring to life.**

**{}**

**Donnellson felt the healing magic relieve some of the pain, and silently thanked the Kossith woman. He heard a great crash, and without looking back, knew it was the Ogre hitting the ground. He finally reached the fire pit, and placed the flaming wood he was carrying onto the tinder. "For Ferelden!" He said softly to himself, and his world then quickly faded into darkness, with the sound of his men's cheers reaching his ears. The old man smiled, and hit the floor, unmoving. **

**A.N**

**I know my update schedule is pretty hectic, but I share a computer with family, so I can only write when I have to myself for a while, so I can't really predict when an update will come. Also, first named character death, what did you think? I thought about it, and having Donnellson die as a martyr was a good way to justify him being able to help retake the tower. If you really loved him, then you have my sympathy, as I liked him too, but he had no place in chapters to come. Better for him to die this way, then to be forgotten in later chapters right?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Victory in the Valley.**

**Disclaimer: Dragon age is the property of Bioware, I own only my OC's.**

**Nolan saw the beacon ignite in the tower, and smiled. He gave the signal to Marian, who gave the order for the archers to unleash the first volley into the darkspawn. Even without Donnellson's men, Nolan still had a sizable force under his command, thanks in large part to Elissa's reinforcements.**

**He watched as hundreds of arrows flew from his position into the charging hoard, killing the darkspawn in droves. The arrows continued to fly, albeit more sporadically, as the orders were to keep launching arrows until their quivers were empty. At that point, they were to simply wait until they were all handed fresh arrows, which Nolan had arranged for earlier. **

**Nolan noticed that his father's men had yet to charge, and began to wonder what was wrong. Then he heard the sounding of horns to the north. He looked quickly, and what he saw robbed him of breath. He saw hundreds of men charging to reinforce the exhausted forces serving with the king. He recognized the sound; it was the horn of Amaranthine. The forces of Arl Howe had arrived, precisely when they were needed. Nolan felt tears of joy begin to appear in his eyes, so beautiful the sight before him was. 'Thank you Maker, thank you!' Nolan promised to himself that if his loved ones survived he would donate ten Sovereigns to the next chantry he came across.**

**{}**

**Teyrn Loghain watched as the beacon was lit. He waited, not yet giving the order to charge, still deciding if the battle could be won. He was about to decide on retreat, when the horns sounded. He watched as Amaranthine forces poured into the valley, eager to help the King's greatly fatigued forces. He looked towards his son's position, and made his choice. "Sound…the attack!" Ser Cauthrien, his loyal second in command nodded, silently relieved that the order had finally come. **

"**Charge!" She shouted. The men slammed into the western flank of the darkspawn, with Howe's men attacking from the north. **

**Using their momentum to the fullest, the soldiers of Ferelden pressed against the hoard, and could sense the coming victory. Within an hour of brutal fighting, the last of the darkspawn fell back, and the Ferelden survivors let out a great shout, that could be heard all the way at the top of the Tower of Ishal. **

**Elizar, Sarah, and Alistair were all resting, along with the surviving soldiers of Donnellson's unit. They all had a moment of silence in his honor, then set about finding survivors of the Ogre's vicious assault. Health poultices and healing spells were cast about, and they saved as many men as they could. To Sarah though, she felt it wasn't enough. She was unknowingly sharing the same line of thinking as Alistair, who felt that they could have done more somehow. **

**When they heard the sound of cheering from below, they peered over the edge of the Tower. They saw the retreating torches of the darkspawn, and the cheering forces of Ferelden. Sarah felt her energy return and she pulled both Elizar and Alistair into a tight hug; the joy she felt was immeasurable, and both of her friends were still alive, even after Alistair's little stunt. Elizar and Alistair both looked surprised, (Alistair felt himself blush slightly at the sudden embrace) but they could understand her feelings, it meant that Donnellson and all the others who had fallen had not died in vein. **

**Some men came up from below, saying that some darkspawn had attempted to retake the tower, but they had stopped them quickly by collapsing the tunnels they were using. The trio of wardens began the slow descent to the bottom floor of the tower, intent on reaching the grey warden camp and getting a well-deserved rest.**

**{}**

**Nolan was walking through the camp, personally congratulating every soldier he met, especially the soldiers from Amaranthine. He found Cailan sitting on a camp stool, his great-sword leaning on one of the stone pillars. Cailan looked up and smiled, "Nolan, I'm glad to see you are well. But the glory belongs to my men unfortunately for you." Nolan smiled dryly,**

"**Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure it was the Amaranthine troops and my father's charge that saved your men's lives." Cailan waved off that comment, deciding to let his brother-in-law have this small victory. Nothing could describe how well Cailan was feeling. Deep down he had known the battle could not be won, and he was never so glad to have been wrong. He was glad that Nolan had survived at least, he was one of the few men he could honestly say he would trust with his life, (Which he had just a few hours ago). **

**While the young king was considering this, Loghain approached the two men. He felt honestly surprised at how things had worked out. The Amaranthine forces arrived just when he was ready to pull out. He had always felt that Cailan's hunger for glory would get him killed, and it nearly had. Loghain was forced to remember who else would have died had he left. His son had performed his assigned task beautifully! There was no doubt that Nolan would make an outstanding replacement when he was gone. 'Would he have survived if I hadn't attacked?' Loghain asked himself, and he didn't like the obvious answer. **

**As he approached the circle of pillars where his son and the king were talking, he saw another figure approaching who looked like his father, but was much more readily liked. And Loghain was not the only one who noticed the newcomer, as Cailan all but shouted a greeting, which caused Nolan to turn around. Nolan looked quite surprised to see this man instead of his father. "Nathaniel? What are you doing here? I thought your father sent you to the Free Marches!"**

**Nathaniel Howe approached them, his naturally straight face betraying no emotion. "My father fell ill before the march south, and I had just returned in time to lead the men." He spoke very simply, embellishing no detail. "Teyrn Cousland is here as well." This last sentence was directed to the king more than Nolan or his father.**

**After talking for a while, Nolan excused himself, saying he needed to get some rest and recommended the same to the others. When he reached his troops camp, he was surprised when he was met with groups of cheers from across the area. He also noticed that the men were celebrating with mugs of Ale and cheerful voices. He almost broke out laughing when he saw Carver and some of his men began singing a song that likely was written in the Lothering taverns as he had never heard it. It was the type of song to sing while you're drunk because how you sounded did not matter in the least. Marian was slightly less tipsy than her brother, but she seemed to be enjoying a conversation with the sober Leeran a little too much. **

**He reached his tent after accepting a drink or two and congratulating the men when he got the chance. He opened the tent flap and found Hunter sleeping below his bed, and looking up was his mistress Elissa Cousland herself. From the smell of the tent, she had enjoyed herself to, and he was sorry that he had missed the likely entertaining show. He decided to let her sleep, not wanting to see her during the coming hangover. He stepped outside again and joined his unit commanders around a fire. **

**Carver and Marian were having a drinking contest, and Trenton was keeping score with Leeran. Some of the men seemed to be placing bets on who they thought would win. After looking at both of them Nolan walked over and asked for the odds. "It's three to one on Carver winning, but I don't like the look on his face!" **

**Nolan grinned slightly, "Give me one Sovereign on Carver!" The man looked surprised, but consented. Nolan watched as the Hawke siblings both downed their ninth mug of ale, and finally, Marian fell backward into the arms of one of the spectators.**

**Nolan smiled as he collected his winnings, finding that he had been one of three people to bet on Carver. He walked toward the drunken younger brother, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good job Carver, good job." Carver smiled drunkenly and summarily passed out. Nolan counted the gold he had won with Carver's unexpected victory, finding he had won 233 silver. 'Good job indeed Carver!' Nolan thought to himself, now going to get a new cot to sleep on. **

**A.N.**

**Yes, Ostagar was a victory for Ferelden. If you dislike this, it's well within your rights to stop reading this story. To answer one of my reviewer's questions, yes, the other wardens will be in this story, and within the next few chapters we will be seeing the Dalish warden, followed most likely by the city elf. By then, I may have decided how to incorporate the dwarven wardens into the story in the best way. I am also starting an Inquisition story inspired by Chaosangels4us story "The Inquisition". And as a side note, can anyone tell me about the rules on posting cover images for your stories; because I may have missed it in the rules presented by the website, or it didn't say. I would appreciate help on that. Hope you liked the new Chapter,**

**The 25****th**** Doctor. **


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